Tag Archives: main course

You told yourself you wouldn’t do it this year. That you’d be ready and have everything planned out. Now, here it is, a mere 5 hours before kick off (10 if you count all the pre-game bullsh*t), and you’ve got no food ready. You may not have even hit the store yet. Well fear not, we’ve got you covered. Check out the links from our past recipes below for quick and easy crowd pleasers, then get your ass to the store, man! You can thank us later.

Deviled Duck’s: since it’s last minute, substitute chicken eggs for the duck eggs, and pork bacon for the duck bacon, unless you’ve got the most awesomely stocked pantry or grocery store in the universe.

Winter. It’s still here and all the comfort food you’ve been indulging in probably isn’t doing much for your waistline (we’re wearing this season’s finest mesh shorts at this point). Enter the roasted squash sandwich: well portioned, extremely flavorful, filling, and somewhat healthy as long as you use the meat and cheese more as garnish than a centerpiece. It’s a hearty and handheld meal that may even have you wishing for the groundhog to see his shadow.

Peel the squash, halve it, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Once both sides are clean, slice them cross-wise into 1/2 inch pieces. Spread them evenly across your baking sheet.

Slice the pieces as uniformly as possible so they cook evenly.

Peel and halve the onion, then slice it crosswise into 1/4 inch slices and place them on the baking sheet as well. It’ll probably be a little crowded at this point but try not to overlap the veggies too much.

Peel and mince the garlic cloves and sprinkle them across all of the veggies. Drizzle your olive oil over the whole lot and give it a dusting of the allspice, cinnamon, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Pop it in the oven for 20 minutes.

Season the veggies more aggressively if you don’t plan to use condiments for your sandwich.

While things are roasting you can prepare your other fillings. Cut your apples in half, remove the cores and slice them into thin pieces. Slice the fontina as well and set aside.

On a separate baking sheet lay out 4 pieces of your bread to get it ready for the fillings. Once 20 minutes has passed, flip your veggies and pop them back in the oven for another 15 minutes or until they’re nicely browned and fork tender.

When the squash and onions are done, layer them on the bread and then place your proscuitto, apples, fontina, and other slice of bread on top. Pop them back in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted nicely and the bread is lightly toasted. Cut them in half and serve with some whole grain or honey mustard if desired.

Try to avoid piling your sandwich fillings too high so everything doesn’t squeeze out the sides when you bite it.

Everything that is good and right in the world in the soft embrace of two buns.

This shining example ofburger perfection has all the best qualities of an old school steak house meal. Bacon and blue cheese a la wedge salad? Check. Marbled beef seasoned and cooked to perfection? Check. Just enough vegetables to make you feel slightly healthy? Check. Shake up a dirty martini, grab a napkin and go to town.

Suggested Beer Pairing: Brown Ales and Porters are our preference for this one, but you have to really try to make a bad beer pairing with a burger.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef (we recommend an 80/20 mix) ($3.99/lb)

1 medium onion ($0.99/lb)

1 medium shallot ($2.99/lb)

3 cloves garlic ($2.99/lb)

1 lb. crimini or bably bella mushrooms ($2.99/lb)

8 strips thick cut applewood smoked bacon ($7.99/lb)

8 oz blue cheese (we used an Italian blue, verde capra)($8.99/lb)

2 TBSP Montreal steak seasoning ($about $3.99/3 oz jar)

3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil ($8.99/32 oz)

3 TBSP balsamic vinegar ($8.99/32 oz)

2 TBSP honey ($4.39/12 oz)

4 hamburger buns ($3.19/8 pack)

Salt

Pepper

Preparation:

Peel and mince the garlic; peel and quarter your onion, then cut into thin slices. Brush off the crimini mushrooms with a wet paper towel to remove any excess dirt. Slice those puppies into thin strips too and mix in with the onions and garlic.

Slice the mushrooms thinly so they cook down easier and caramelize nicely.

Place your frying pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Throw in your veggies, sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper and stir thoroughly to coat with the oil. Cook everything down for about 5 minutes then drizzle the balsamic vinegar and honey over the whole lot and cook until caramelized, stirring occasionally (about 10 more minutes). Place in a bowl and set aside.

Add some bee juice to even things out and complement the sharpness of the blue cheese.

In a large mixing bowl add the beef, grate in the shallot, add the steak seasoning, a healthy pinch of salt and pepper and mix it together with your hands. Do it until the spices and shallot are well incorporated but don’t overwork the meat, it’ll get gummy and will give your burger a weird texture.

Either grate or mince the shallot so it incorporates easily with the beef.

Take the beef and divide into quarters. Form the patties in the palms of your hands; use your thumb to put a divot in the center so your burger doesn’t bulge when it’s cooked. Set the patties aside on a plate.

Place your veggie frying pan back over medium heat and add your bacon. Don’t overcrowd it, cook the bacon in batches until crisp and set it aside on paper towels to drain. Leave the bacon fat in the pan.

Keep your frying pan over medium heat. If the bottom isn’t evenly coated in bacon fat add a little olive oil and plunk down your hamburger patties. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side for medium; whatever your doneness preference, only flip the burgers once. When cooked to your liking remove from heat and let the patties sit for a couple minutes. Take this chance to toast the buns a bit in the frying pan to soak up all the remaining burgerness.

Like steak, you only want to flip your burgers once to avoid uneven, overcooking.

Pop the beef on top of the bun and add a thick layer of blue cheese. We like using an Italian blue, verde capra, for this one because it gets creamy and almost sauce-like when it melts. You can find it in most specialty grocery stores or cheese shops but regular blue cheese will work just as well.

Pile on a good amount of mushrooms and onions and top it with a couple of strips of bacon, broken in half to fit easier. If you’ve made it this long without stuffing your face, put the top bun on so the burger’s easier to hold and dig in.

The other white meat can sometimes fall victim to being boring, which is a fate we blame on people with no imagination. We turn this one up to 11 by soaking it with a badass brine and stuffing it full of home cooking favorites like, well, stuffing and cranberries. It’s almost a complete meal in and of itself but that shouldn’t stop you from pairing it with some mashed potatoes or roasted root vegetables to cap things off.

16 oz brown ale (price varies)(we actually used an old autumn ale, you can use English ale, winter ale or almost anything other than an overly hoppy IPA or barley wine)

2 C apple cider ($3.49/gallon)

1/3 C kosher salt ($2.29/48 oz box)

1/3 C pure grade A maple syrup (about $7/8 oz)

8 large rosemary sprigs ($1.50/sprig or bunch)

1 TBSP whole black peppercorns ($3.69/2.25 oz jar)

1/2 C dried cranberries ($2.99/6 oz bag)

1/2 C walnuts (about $8.99/lb)

1 box of instant stuffing (about $2.50/6 oz box) (don’t judge us, just be sure you check the instructions on the box, the recipe typically requires a few tablespoons of butter and water)

2 large apples ($2.99/lb)

Preparation:

You’ll want to plan ahead a bit on this one because you’ll want to brine the pork loin for at least 2 hours before you cook it. 6-10 hours is ideal.

For the brine combine your beer, cider, maple syrup & salt in the 5 QT pot. Whisk it all together, place it over high heat and bring it to a boil, stirring regularly until the syrup and salt are dissolved.

Beer here!

Once it’s boiling, transfer the brine to your large container add a tray of ice cubes to accelerate the cooling process and thin it out a bit. Pop it in the fridge until it’s chilled (this should take about 45 minutes to an hour).

While you’re waiting for things to cool, trim any excess fat off of your pork loin and give it a good rinse.

When your brine is cold, place the pork in it an add the rosemary & peppercorns. Cover the dish and pop it back in the fridge for at least 2 hours; the longer you leave it in the more tender it’ll get.

Make sure you have enough brine to fully cover your meat.

When you can’t holdout any longer preheat the oven to 375°F and take the pork out of the brine. Rinse it, pat it dry, and put it on a plate to bring it to room temperature (at least 15 minutes). Save the rosemary sprigs for later.

While you’re waiting for the pork to warm, cook up your stuffing. This typically involves bringing water and butter to a boil, stirring in the stuffing and letting it sit in a covered pot for 5-8 minutes. Chop up the walnuts and stir them in along with the dried cranberries.

Chop the walnuts into manageable chunks but be careful not to pulverize them.

When the pork is un-chilled, butterfly it (a.k.a. cut it almost in half lengthwise so you can open it like a sub roll).

Slice up your apples into thin pieces, lengthwise and use them to line each interior side of the loin. Spoon in your stuffing and lay the rosemary sprigs from the brine across the top.

Be careful not to over-stuff the meat, you need to be able to tie it up without too much excess.

Squeeze everything together and tie up the loin with butcher’s twine.

It's a good idea to pre-cut your twine so you don't have to do it with porky hands.

Pop the pork in the oven and cook it for about 45-60 minutes until it registers at about 165° F on your meat thermometer.

As with all meat let it rest for 5-10 minutes before you cut it. Remove the twine, slice into 1-2 inch discs and serve.

We can’t eat meat all the time, no matter how much we wish it was possible. For those times when the circles of meatlessness and pizza overlap on your Venn diagram of hunger (how’s that for an intelligent reference) try our vegetable version. With classic Greek flavors this easy crowd pleaser is also great for using up leftover veggies (zucchini, peppers, extra greens, scallions, we could go on…) with minimal effort and maximum results.

Before anything else, wash off your red pepper and put it directly over the burner on your stove. If you don’t have a gas stove, pop into the oven directly on the baking rack for about 10-15 minutes. You want the skin to start burning and blistering so keep a close eye on it and rotate when one side gets too done; a crackling, popping noise means you’re headed in the right direction.

Let the pepper char up completely on each side before you turn it.

When your pepper is properly charred, put it in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to sweat it out. While you’re waiting for it to steam peel and slice your onion crosswise into thin strips and do the same with your sundried tomatoes (the cutting into strips part, not the peeling part).

After about 5 minutes remove the pepper from the bowl, run it under hot water and rub the skin off. Cut in half lengthwise, remove the ribs and seeds and slice into thin strips lengthwise.

Peel your onion and slice it into thin discs, halfwise.

Throw a little flour on your baking sheet and spread out the pizza dough into the shape your heart desires. Drizzle some olive oil over the top and pop it into the oven for 5 minutes to let it firm up a bit.

Take the dough out and coat it with your artichoke spread. Layer on the red pepper strips, onion discs, sundried tomatoes and olives.

Crush the olives before you put them on so they cook down better and cover more pizza real estate.

Crumble some feta over the whole lot and sprinkle some dried oregano evenly over the top. Pop it back in the oven for another 10 minute, or until the crust is crisped to your liking. Pull it out, slice it up and take it down.

Short ribs are a favorite of ours because the only way to screw them up is to undercook them. Oh no, you let it go for 3 hours instead of 2? That just means you’ll be able to cut it with a spoon, lucky. Also, with the Super Bowl around the corner you’ve got the perfect excuse for some serious chili making, which also requires patience and the ability to drink beer while you’re waiting. Our work here is done.

At the butcher (or meat counter) ask them to cut your ribs into 2 inch chunks. When you get them home, season each piece liberally with salt and pepper on all sides.

Dice your onion and pepper, and mince the garlic. While you’re at it, cut your bacon strips in to 1 inch chunks for later.

Put your pot over high heat and coat the bottom in olive oil. Taking a few pieces at a time so you don’t crowd the pot, sear the ribs on every side (you’ll need a plate or bowl to hold those that are finished). Once you’ve browned everything throw in the garlic and onion and scrape up the brown bits off the bottom. Let them sweat for a minute then put the ribs back in the pot.

Once the meat is down, don't move it. And don't you dare flip it more than once.

Pour in the beer and enough beef stock to cover everything. Stir in maple syrup, cayenne pepper, chili powder and liquid smoke. Reduce the heat to low, pop the lid on and let it simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

While your beef is braising (aka, cooking in liquid after being seared) put a frying pan over medium head and throw in your bacon pieces. Cook them until they’re crispy and then drain them on a paper towel and set aside for later.

When you can pull the beef apart with a fork, pull the pieces out of the juice and put it on a cutting board. Remove the bones and chop up the meat into bite-sized pieces. Toss them back in the liquid.

Chop that meat up into tiny little melt-in-your-mouth morsels.

Drain one of the cans of beans and add them to the pot. Pour in the second can, bean juice and all. Add the green peppers.

Chop up the chipotle peppers and toss them in the pot. We also like to spoon in a little of the adobo sauce that comes in the can.

Mince the peppers into a fine paste and stir them in.

Let things simmer for another 20 minutes and adjust your flavors to taste. Add the bacon bits just before serving to add some texture to the bowl. Spoon into big bowls and serve with cornbread, or just ladle from the pot into your mouth.

Our childhood was filled with simple food pleasures and baked chicken was one of the most magical. When we pressed our mom for the original recipe in an attempt to recapture some of that lost wonder she simply stated, “It’s chicken and cornflakes.” Duly noted. Here’s our take with a couple flavor additions to bring this comfort food standby into the 21st century. Use panko breadcrumbs for extra crunch that provides a fried chicken experience with half the guilt. Grab a spot on the picnic blanket and pass a napkin.

In one of your large mixing bowls pour in the panko breadcrumbs. Remove the cornflakes from the box but keep them in the sealed bag that they came in. Gently crush the cereal into smaller chunks (keeping it in the bag keeps the mess at a minimum) and mix them in with the breadcrumbs.

Crush up the cereal into smaller pieces but don't turn it to complete dust.

Add the cinnamon and chipotle powder along with a couple healthy pinches of salt and pepper. Stir it all together and set it aside.

In your other large container add the flour, cayenne pepper and another good pinch of salt and pepper. Stir things together with a fork so the seasonings are mixed evenly.

Crack the eggs into your small mixing bowl, pour in a splash of water and whisk it up with a fork. Arrange your bowls in this order on your working surface: flour, eggs, cereal mix.

Rinse the chicken off and trim any excess fat. Pat the pieces dry with a paper towel and prepare for dredging. Taking each piece individually coat them entirely in flour, dip them in egg, and coat them evenly in the cereal mix. Place each crispy-crusted piece in the baking pan and repeat until you’ve dredged all your chicken.

Coat each piece thoroughly with crunchy goodness.

Put the chicken in the oven for about 45 minutes then cut into a thigh to test the done-ness. If the juice runs clear you’re good to go. If it’s still got blood in it, pop it back in for another 10 minutes or so and re-check. Once it’s fully cooked let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Hot Honey Preparation:

In a small bowl or mug pour in the honey and pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds or until it’s extremely runny.

Pour in the Frank’s Red Hot and stir until both are thoroughly incorporated. Use as a dip for individual bites of chicken or just douse the whole lot of it.